


We Named the Dog Indiana

by tisfan



Series: Imagine Tony and Bucky 2018 [15]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adopting a Puppy, Date Night, M/M, Minor Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, don't call her a bitch, you people are rude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-23 07:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16614728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tisfan/pseuds/tisfan
Summary: For this prompt: Imagine Tony and Bucky adopting a puppy. One of them adopting thinking th other won’t like/want a dog and maybe trying to hide it, by anonAnd for thekitteh for suggesting the puppy's name





	We Named the Dog Indiana

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheKitteh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKitteh/gifts).



 

“That didn’t work when we were kids and it’s not going to work now,” Steve said.

“What ain’t?” Bucky didn’t bother to look up from his position, crouched near the drainpipe. He had a few pieces of puppy chow in one hand and he was soaking wet, hair sticking to his face as the rain drizzled down with unceasing monotony. It wasn’t too cold, fall was just starting, but the rain made everything unpleasant.

“You’re gonna spend the next half hour trying to lure some junkyard mutt out of a hole and claim it followed you home.”

“Pretty sure if I can feed it an’ get it out of this drain, it’ll be happy to follow me home,” Bucky said.

“And when we were kids, and you dragged some wet, bedraggled mutt home to your ma, what did she say?”

Bucky glared up at Steve. “I’m not going to leave him here to starve to death. And it’s not like I don’t have my own place these days.”

Which was true, as far as it went. Like everyone in the Avengers Tower, he had about a quarter of a floor set aside; his floor housed Steve, himself, Clint, and Sam. Not that he stayed there, most nights. He had not quite moved his things up to Tony’s penthouse, but he was waking up in that bed more and more every week.

“Pets are a big commitment, Buck,” Steve said.

“So were you,” Bucky said. “Never kept me from lookin’ after your scrawny ass.”

“Just making sure you’ve thought this through--”

Bucky stopped listening. The puppy had taken a few, tentative bites of the food and was whining softly. Too scared to move closer to Bucky, too hungry to move away.

Patience was key. He added a few more pieces of the food, a soft, milk and barley smelling thing, soft for baby teeth, with a lot of nutrition. At least the puppy would get a good meal, even if Bucky couldn’t get him out. Not that Bucky couldn’t rip the grate out of the ground, but he wasn’t sure about the drain’s structural integrity.

“There you are, baby,” Bucky said as a soft, furry nose touched his palm. “Just a little--”

Bucky didn’t bother to contain a triumphant cry as the puppy climbed into his hand, and Bucky gently closed his fingers, cupping the rolly, round, muddy thing.

“Well, that’s an ugly little dog you have got there, pal,” Steve said. “Come on, let’s take it to the shelter and get a cup of cocoa or something.”

Bucky took the puppy, chow and all, and dropped it into his inside coat pocket. The puppy wiggled around a few times until it discovered the food at the bottom and then settled in to eat. “You go ahead. Say hi to your girl for me.”

“I don’t have a girl,” Steve protested.

“Okay, say hi to your ex-neighbor, former Shield Agent, that just happens to be Peggy Carter’s niece, and that you also just happen to be going _on a date with_.”

“I’ll tell Sharon you said hi.”

“You do that.”

***

“Did you… growl at me?” Tony turned around in the elevator and actually gave Bucky all of his attention. Which, while it wasn’t entirely unusual, Tony wasn’t always the most attentive person, especially when he was poking a tablet or talking on the phone.

“I did not,” Bucky said, putting one hand over his jacket pocket and soothing the agitated little squirmy lump inside it. He wanted to get the puppy into his room, bathed and cleaned up before he went about trying to present it as an actual pet option. No one was going to want adopt a dog that looked like it’d been drowned in mud and shoved in a sewer, even if that’s what had happened.

“Huh, okay,” Tony said, sticking one finger in his ear and rattling it around a bit like he was trying to jumpstart his brain. “We’re still on for dinner tonight?”

“Oh--” Fuck, he’d forgotten about date night. “Yeah, absolutely.” Now he was going to need to get a puppy sitter. On short notice. When he already didn’t have any supplies for actually keeping a puppy.

“Great, I’ll uh, see you then, then.”

***

“Just tell him you got a puppy,” Natasha said. She wasn’t quite perched on her chair like a sitcom wife upon spotting a mouse, but she did not look happy that the puppy (washed, dried, cute, cuddly) was in her apartment.

“Tasha…”

“Don’t whine, you sound just like that puppy,” Nat told him. “Ask Clint--”

“You’re kidding, right? He’d feed the poor thing pizza and then it’d be puking up all night.”

“Her.”

“Wha--”

“It’s a girl,” Nat said. “A girl… puppy. A bi--”

“Don’t say it. It’s rude.”

“I’m not taking care of it for you.”

***

“I’m going to be late,” Bucky said, holding out the puppy, basket, and food. “Come on, she’s like tiny, just look after her for like an hour, please, it’ll be a short night--”

“No.”

Sam shut the door in his face.

“I hate you.”

***

“Hey, Tony, I’m uh, really sorry, but I can’t make it tonight.”

“Okay.” The call disconnected abruptly.

Bucky threw himself down on the bed with a groan of dismay. “Look what you made me do,” he told the sleeping puppy. “I had to cancel a date. Last minute. Tony’s never going to forgive me, and--”

The puppy licked his ear. She wasn’t really concerned about Bucky’s tragedy.

“Yeah, you’re lucky you’re cute, otherwise, it’s the pet shelter for you.”

Someone knocked on the door.

Bucky scooped up the puppy and went to answer the door. “Tony--”

“Yeah, strange how that happens, that I can come right down and see why you cancelled on me, it’s not like I live, oh, just upstairs.”

“I, uh--”

“So, this is the little tramp who’s stolen you away from me? Give--” Tony snapped his fingers a few times and held out his hand for the puppy.

“I think she’s more of a Lady than the Tramp,” Bucky said, hesitantly, then handed the puppy over.

“You do know we have pet rules in this building, Barnes? In the lease, along with all those other piles of paperwork we had you sign when you became an Avenger.”

“Uh.”

“Yes, there absolutely are rules, aren’t there, you adorable thing, you. Rules. Rules, Barnes!”

“Uh, are you going to tell me what they are?”

“Well, the first, and most important rule is that you are not allowed to cancel date night without a decent excuse: I accept things like maiming, evil robots taking over the world, and a shortage of coffee. Only!”

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t sign anything like that.”

“Only pretty sure isn’t positive, buttercup,” Tony said. “And as your landlord, and in retaliation, I am absconding with your puppy.”

“Yeah, okay, we can do date night in, I guess,” Bucky said.

“Did I say you could come? No, no I did not. You cancelled our date, remember?”

And Tony shut the door, baby talking with the puppy on his way back to the elevator. “And I’m going to just spoil you to pieces, yes, yes, I am going to do that.”

“Maybe--” Bucky threw the door open. “Maybe we could reschedule?”

“Yeah, okay, we can do that.” Tony got in the elevator. “When are you free?”

Bucky stuck his arm between the doors and let the car open up again. “How about now. Are you available now?”

“You’ll have to ask my other sweetheart,” Tony said, holding up the dog. “Also, you’re blocking the door.”

“She says yes,” Bucky said, stepping into the car. He kissed the puppy, as presented, then moved her aside to kiss Tony. “And I’m not blocking the door anymore. Waiting on you, now.”

“So, it’s a date.”

“It’s a date.”

“We’re naming her Iron Dog.”

“We are _not_ naming her Iron Dog.”

“Iron Bit--”

“Will you people stop that, it’s rude.”

“Iron Maiden.”

“No, Tony.” Bucky tugged on the puppy’s ears. “How about… Belle?”

“Ug. Iron Heart?”

“No, Tony. Belle. Her name is Belle.”


End file.
